BEIJING, May 9 (UPI) -- The number of China's registered unemployed stood at 8.1 million in the first quarter of this year, 100,000 more than at the end of 2003, officials have said.
While overall unemployment increased, the urban registered unemployment rate remained at 4.3 percent, the same as last year, China's official Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.
Despite the rise in the country's unemployment, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security said China created 2.52 million new jobs in the first three months. It hopes to ensure nine million new jobs this year.
Officials said their hope is to help five million laid-off go back to work this year and keep the unemployment rate around 4.7 percent.
By the end of March, 155.9 million people were covered by retirement insurance, 102 million by unemployment insurance, 112.4 by medical insurance and over 47.1 million by industrial injury insurance.
